Plenty to 'like' about beaten Bulls

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 11:19

REACTION: It must be the most used cliche in the game, to take 'positives' out of a defeat.

And new Bulls coach John Mitchell has his own take on this moth-eaten articulation.

Mitchell, speaking after a 14-31 loss to the Sharks in one of two pre-season fixtures at the weekend (they also lost 22-66 to the Lions in Johannesburg), said they were not looking for a perfect performance in Polokwane.

"There is a lot to like [about the performance in Polokwane]," the former All Black mentor said.

He could not attend the Ellis Park game, but said they were not after perfection in either outing.

"The second group [second-half team] looked disjointed," he admitted, adding: "There was a lot of good stuff to like in that first half.

"We just need to learn to be more patient with the ball.

"However, the second half was far too disjointed and individualistic."

Mitchell said the guys who finished the game in Polokwane are likely to start in their next warm-up match - against the Stormers in Wellington this coming Saturday.

He added that they will not be focusing on the Stormers and what threats they may bring, but would look at themselves.

"It is trial No.2, so it is important that we get better.

"It [pre-season games] has nothing to do with the scoreboard - it is about how parts of your game develop and how you learn to handle pressure."

Mitchell said the key areas of their game he is looking at for improvement include their line-out attack and patience with ball in hand.